A crossover anime, where people are in Classroom of the Imaginary Era, and behind the scenes, the ki

"I just feel... a lot of pressure."

"My rational mind tells me that it's pointless to keep fighting amongst myself here. But the thought of it... makes me unable to stop overthinking."

She gave a self-deprecating, bitter smile:

"Sigh, maybe it's because I no longer have any chance of making a mistake with my life, so I'm too afraid of dying, which has made me a bit overly sensitive."

Upon hearing this, Honami Ichinose lowered her eyelids slightly.

She didn't reply immediately, but thought about it seriously for a while.

"Senior, I know that with my current position, saying these things to you might sound like I'm talking without understanding the situation."

"But please believe me, I'm serious!"

Ichinose stopped and said earnestly, "Actually, at the very beginning, I was just like you are now, senpai."

“I am constantly worried that I might suddenly die at some unknown moment; I am even more worried that my companions, whom I care about and cherish, might get into trouble because of my incompetence.”

"After going through several black ball exams, I watched helplessly as people like Shirabo, whom I wanted to save, slipped away before my eyes... I was once lost and confused."

"Senior, do you know what finally made me recover?"

Akane Tachibana was a little stunned: "Because of what?"

Honami Ichinose looked at her and suddenly smiled.

"Because I realized that I had no choice at all; because I knew that dwelling on past pain and future fears would only make things worse."

"But... the most important reason that truly enabled me to stand up is probably because of my senior."

"senior?"

Tachibana Akane took a second to realize that she was referring to Su Wei.

“Yes.” Ichinose nodded emphatically. “He is really strong and consistent. With him as a guiding goal, I won’t get lost in the dark.”

She grasped Akane's slightly cool hand and looked directly into her eyes:

"As for what you're saying, senior, I don't know the root cause of your distress. But..."

"It's better to do something and then regret it than to die in regret for doing nothing!"

"Go ahead and do what you want to do... even if something unexpected happens."

Ichinose smiled and gave her promise:

"As long as I live, my senior and I will definitely save everyone... everyone we can save!"

Listening to the girl's pure and unadulterated declaration, as if she were standing in the light,

Akane Tachibana stood there motionless for a long time.

"Ichinose... thank you."

Honami Ichinose glanced at the time and knew it was time for her to get down to business.

She smiled and waved:

"Then I'll be going now, senior."

"If you ever feel down again, or if there's anything you can't figure out, feel free to come to me anytime!"

"it is good."

Akane Tachibana stood quietly in place, gazing at Ichinose's departing figure.

Until the girl's figure completely disappeared around the corner.

Her fingertips curled up unconsciously, digging tightly into her palm.

His eyelids were half-closed, and his purple eyes flickered darkly in the shadows.

Finally, as if resigned to her fate, she relaxed her tense shoulders and took a deep breath.

Just like Ichinose's initial concealment to save face, Tachibana Akane didn't actually tell Ichinose the whole truth either.

But this wasn't because Akane intentionally lied; it was because she genuinely didn't know how to bring it up.

Everyone, including Akane herself, originally thought so.

Her current anxiety stems from her burning desire to accumulate enough S-points to strengthen herself, in order to save or even revive Horikita Manabu.

but......

When you truly reach a point where you face life-or-death situations every day and need to examine your deepest desires, that's when you truly begin to understand yourself.

Akane Tachibana was horrified to discover that the protagonist who repeatedly appeared in her mind and gave her a sense of security was not Horikita Manabu, whom she had admired for many years...

Akane Tachibana tilted her head back and leaned weakly against the shady wall of the mall, her eyes filled with a bewildered look.

"Could it be...?"

"Did I really... betray the president in my heart?"

......

Just as Tachibana Akane leaned against the wall, lost in deep self-doubt...